§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the titles and dates of publications of Law Commission reports on which legislation has not been enacted. [67308]
§ Mr. HoonA list is provided. The Law Commission has published 157 Law Reform reports and 18 Statute Law Revision reports, of which 57 have not resulted in legislation or have not been otherwise implemented. Of these, 14 were not intended for legislation and one further report, "Judicial Review and Statutory Appeals (Law Commission Report No. 226)", resulted in minor legislation but for completeness it is included in the list. 189W
Law Commission reports not implemented by legislation Year Number Title 1996 241 Statute Law Revision: Report on the Chronological Table of Local Legislation1 1997 245 Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Hearsay and Related Topics 1997 246 Shareholder Remedies 1997 247 Aggravated, Exemplary and Restitutionary Damages 1998 248 Corruption 1998 249 Liability for Psychiatric Illness 1998 251 The Rules against Perpetuities and Excessive Accumulations 1998 253 The Execution of Deeds and Documents by or on behalf of Bodies Corporate 1998 254 Land Registration for the Twenty First Century: A Consultative Document1 1998 255 Consents to Prosecution 1 Reports which did not call for legislation 2 Only part of the report resulted in legislation
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what arrangements are in place in his Department to respond to Law Commission reports; and if he will make a statement. [67307]
§ Mr. HoonReports which relate to the Lord Chancellor's areas of responsibility are allocated to the Division within his Department's Headquarters most closely concerned with the subjects covered. Progress on each report is monitored, and there are regular meetings between the Commission and senior Departmental staff to clarify issues and discuss how consideration of reports is taken forward.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what staff and other resources in his Department are dedicated to responding to Law Commission reports. [67306]
§ Mr. HoonNo staff or other resources are solely dedicated to dealing with Law Commission reports. Because the Law Commission's reports raise issues relating to particular policy areas, they are handled by the police Divisions most closely concerned with the subject.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to respond to the Law Commission's report of March 1998 on psychiatric injury. [67309]
§ Mr. HoonI expect that the Government's response to the Law Commission's Report on Liability for Psychiatric Illness will be published within the next three months.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement concerning the backlog of unimplemented Law Commission reports concerning uncontroversial issues. [67305]
§ Mr. HoonLast year, we reviewed all Law Commission reports for which my Department was responsible, and which were then outstanding. I informed this House of the results of that exercise on 19 March 1998,Official Report, column 709, in response to a question asked by my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Melanie Johnson). The Lord Chancellor, Lord Irvine of Lairg, provided further information on unimplemented Law Commission reports in another place on 29 July 1998, Official Report, House of Lords, columns 201–02.
Some aspects of the report on Restitution for Mistake of Law: Ultra Vires Public Authority Receipts and Payments (Law Commission report No. 227) remain outstanding from that review. We have consulted the Law 190W Commission further on that report, and will publish the Government's response on the remaining matters within the next month.
Of the reports received since that review within the responsibility of my Department, there are two which are unlikely to prove controversial. These concern The Rules against Perpetuities and Excessive Accumulations of Income (Law Commission report No. 251) and Execution of Deeds and Documents by or on behalf of Bodies Corporate (Law Commission report No. 253). We expect to announce our decision on these reports in the spring.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to respond to the Law Commission's report of December 1997 on aggravated, exemplary damages. [67310]
§ Mr. HoonI expect that the Government's response to the Law Commission's Report on Aggravated, Exemplary and Restitutionary Damages will be published within the next three months.
§ Mr. DismoreTo ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department what agreements exist between Government Departments and the Law Commission about the timing of responses to Law Commission reports. [67300]
§ Mr. HoonThe Law Commission discusses such arrangements separately with the Departments concerned. The Lord Chancellor's Department aims to respond within six months of publication.